Steady Ground Therapy

How we work

Evidence-based, and built around you

There is no single method that works for everyone who gambles. We draw on four well-researched approaches and combine them into a plan that makes sense for your situation.

CBT

Cognitive behavioural therapy

Untangling the beliefs that keep gambling going, such as "I am due a win", and replacing the habits built around them.

Gambling runs on a set of predictable thinking traps: the near-miss that feels like almost winning, the belief that a losing streak must be about to end, the idea that a big win would fix everything. CBT names these traps and tests them against what has actually happened.

Alongside the thinking work, we map the chain of events that leads to a bet. Where were you, what had just happened, what did you feel, what did you tell yourself? Once the chain is visible, we can build in interruptions at the earliest possible link.

Particularly helpful with

  • Chasing losses
  • Urges triggered by boredom or stress
  • Secretive or automatic betting
MI

Motivational interviewing

A collaborative conversation about change, for people who are not sure they want to stop, or not sure they can.

Most people arrive with mixed feelings. Part of them wants out, part of them is not convinced the problem is that bad, and part of them is frightened of a life without the escape. Motivational interviewing does not argue with any of these parts. It gives them room to speak.

Your counsellor listens for your own reasons for change and reflects them back, so that the case for stopping is built from your words rather than ours. People tend to act on what they have said out loud themselves.

Particularly helpful with

  • Ambivalence about stopping
  • Being pushed into therapy by others
  • Previous failed attempts
Systemic

Systemic & family work

Looking at gambling in the context of the relationships around it, and helping everyone affected find a way forward.

Hidden debt, broken promises and months of secrecy leave marks on a relationship that do not disappear the day the gambling stops. Systemic work brings the people affected into the room, so that the repair happens between you rather than being reported back second-hand.

Sessions have clear structure. Everyone gets to say what it has been like from where they stand. We then agree practical things: who holds the money, what transparency looks like, how to talk about a slip without it becoming a catastrophe.

Particularly helpful with

  • Rebuilding trust
  • Shared finances after debt
  • Supporting a partner who gambles
ACT

Acceptance & mindfulness-based work

Learning to notice an urge, let it rise and fall, and choose what to do next rather than being carried by it.

An urge to gamble usually peaks and passes within twenty minutes. The problem is that those minutes feel unbearable. Mindfulness-based work trains the ability to stay with discomfort without acting on it, and to recognise the urge as a passing state rather than a command.

We pair this with values work from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: getting clear on what matters to you, and using that as a compass when the short-term pull of a bet is loud.

Particularly helpful with

  • Intense cravings
  • Using gambling to numb feelings
  • Anxiety and restlessness in early recovery

The process

From first call to lasting change

Five stages, each with a clear purpose. You can pause or stop at any point, and you will never be pushed further than you want to go.

  1. 01

    A short, no-pressure call

    Fifteen minutes with a member of the team. You tell us as much or as little as you like, we explain how sessions work and answer any questions.

  2. 02

    Assessment with your counsellor

    A longer first session to understand your history with gambling, what else is going on in your life, and what you want to be different.

  3. 03

    A plan you have agreed to

    Together you set goals and choose a mix of approaches. Most people start with weekly sessions for eight to twelve weeks, then review.

  4. 04

    Sessions, tools and practice

    Each week you leave with something concrete to try. Blocking software, money arrangements, urge logs and conversations with the people around you.

  5. 05

    Aftercare that stays in touch

    When regular sessions end, we agree a relapse plan and check in monthly for a year. If a wobble comes, you do not have to start from the beginning.

Inside a session

What fifty minutes actually looks like

1

Check-in

How the week went, any urges or bets, anything that made things easier or harder.

2

Focus

One thing you and your counsellor agreed to work on: a thinking trap, a difficult conversation, a money decision.

3

Practice

Trying something in the room before you try it outside. Rehearsing the phone call, sitting with an urge, writing the plan.

4

Take-away

Something specific to do before next time, small enough to be realistic.

See whether this fits

The best way to find out is a short conversation with a counsellor. No forms to fill in first.

Book a free call 0800 048 7712

If you need help right now

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. This website offers information and counselling and is not an emergency service.

National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133 Free, confidential and open 24 hours a day, every day.